Frank Mir will make his boxing debut against Antonio Tarver on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren.
UFC veteran Frank Mir is making a transition to boxing.
The former heavyweight champion announced that he would make his professional boxing debut against former WBA, WBC, IBF and IBO champ Antonio Tarver on the undercard of the upcoming Triller pay-per-view featuring Jake Paul and Ben Askren on April 17 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mir, who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), confirmed the news on Twitter earlier today.
I am a competitor. I have been all my life.
I take on challenges to grow and better myself as a person.
I have always wanted to test myself in the boxing ring so when this opportunity arose I jumped on it.
See you April 17th @AntonioTarver #MirTarver— Frank Mir (@thefrankmir) February 25, 2021
“I am a competitor. I have been all my life. I take on challenges to grow and better myself as a person. I have always wanted to test myself in the boxing ring so when this opportunity arose I jumped on it. See you April 17th @AntonioTarver #MirTarver,” Mir wrote.
The 41-year-old also spoke about the matchup on his Phone Booth Fighting podcast with Richard Hunter, comparing the bout to his first ever UFC fight.
“It’s very reminiscent of my first UFC fight,” Mir said, per MMA Fighting. “I think I’m obviously being brought in on the B-side. I’m known in MMA more for my grappling than my striking, so I think it’s something where I bring a name, but maybe not dangerous to him on the surface. So hopefully, I’ll train hard and prove them wrong. I’m not going to make it any illusions about it. This is probably a safe warmup fight in their minds in what their corners are looking at.”
Tarver hasn’t fought since his split draw with Steve Cunningham in 2015 while Mir hasn’t stepped foot in the cage since his unanimous decision win over Roy Nelson at Bellator 231 in 2019.
Tarver is most known for his boxing trilogy with Roy Jones Jr., beating the boxing legend 2-1, while Mir is remembered for iconic wins over Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Tim Sylvia, submitting the latter to win the UFC heavyweight title in 2004.
Triller Fight Club: Paul vs. Askren will take place on April 17 at a TBD venue in Atlanta.